Double Standards

On my drive out to McLean earlier today, I was tuning in to The Mike Gallagher Show. I haven’t listened to Gallagher all that much, but the times I’ve heard him he comes across as a reasonable person. Among the topics that arose was Newt Gingrich’s marital infidelity. I felt like I was in a time warp, with Gallagher and his callers arguing that (a) we’re all flawed and imperfect; (b) it’s important to forgive people who slip up; (c) isn’t it unfair to keep people like Gingrich from serving in public life because of past failures; and (d) many impressive political figures, including past presidents, have committed adultery. Surely that shouldn’t be a disqualifier.